Not long ago, restaurants with such unused food typically tossed it out with the garbage — wasting money, contributing to the landfill problem and creating greenhouse gases as the food rotted.

But in recent years, the number of restaurants in Florida that "harvest" their unserved fare and donate it to the hungry has surged. Just last week, Congress began debate over a plan to renew and expand tax incentives to reward eateries that donate.

"Along with doing the right thing, there's got to be that financial incentive," said Dave Krepcho, president and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. "The legislation is critical."

In recent years, one of the biggest food donors has been Darden Restaurants, which last year alone donated 150,000 pounds of food to a gamut of Central Florida charities: homeless shelters, respite programs for the sick and agencies that serve people with disabilities.

"This is high-quality, perfectly good, perishable, prepared food that 10 years ago was going into the dumpster," said Sasha Hausman, development manager for Second Harvest, which manages the pickup-and-delivery system that makes the Darden donations possible. "Now it goes straight to helping people."

Kenneth Billingslea, a veteran kitchen staffer for the Olive Garden, has seen the transformation.

"Back in the early '80s, it was really bad," he says. "It was my first restaurant job, and I'd see us throwing away maybe 200 pounds of food a week, because at the time they didn't have a system to use it. Now, it's a good feeling to know it's going to help a lot of hungry people."

Darden has become the first chain to have all its restaurants participating in the program, Hausman said, but other restaurants have increased their participation, too.

Walt Disney World Resort, for instance, has had a harvest program in place for 22 years — before most people were even aware of the food-waste issue. But the company now has its own truck devoted to daily pickups from every Disney restaurant, all convention venues and even its catering services. It then delivers the bounty to Second Harvest for distribution to after-school programs.

"We're told we're feeding about 1,000 children a week now," said Nancy Gidusko, director of corporate citizenship for the resort. "Our food frequently makes its way to the [Central Florida] Boys and Girls Clubs. Some of those kids aren't getting fed at home, and this way we know they're getting a good meal."

Last year, Disney donated more than 560,000 pounds of food to the program.

Another pioneer in the effort has been Yum! Brands — the world's largest fast-food conglomerate — which owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Though its food donations may not earn the highest marks from nutrition experts, advocates say there's a place for fast food.

"Our first client was Pizza Hut," said Jim Larson, program-development director for the national Food Donation Connection, which links donor restaurants with nonprofits seeking food. The company would take pizzas that were previously being thrown out — the result of errors, cancellations and no-shows — and donate the pies.

"Our mission is: 'Let nothing be wasted,' so we try not to judge," Larson said. "And the fact is that there's fast food out there, it's part of our culture, and maybe if you're feeding kids at a homeless shelter, having pizza gives them a little sense of normalcy. It's a treat."

Some agencies report that donations began to climb in 2008, when a state "Good Samaritan" law added restaurants that donate food to a list of those protected against civil lawsuits over any unintended harm that may result. But advocates say the expanded federal tax legislation, which has bipartisan support, would help further increase food donations, particularly from small businesses.

Last year, the Food Donation Connection facilitated the donation of 36 million pounds of food — but a majority of restaurants are still not on board. The process requires extra time, storage space and a way to transport the food.

But "any restaurant with any quality standards has surplus," Larson said.

That's because restaurants limit how long they'll keep soups, sauces, meats and pasta before they're no longer willing to serve them to customers.

"We want everything to be exceptionally fresh," said Will Cerrud, general manager of the Winter Park Olive Garden.

So each week, Second Harvest sends a delivery truck that picks up bagged and frozen Zuppa Toscana or Pasta e Fagioli — or meatballs or chicken or pasta — and delivers it the same day to nonprofit agencies whose personnel have been trained in food safety.

Sometimes the charities' cooks add ingredients or mix meats into soups or pasta to feed more people. Other times it's simpler.

"All we have to do is heat it and eat it," said Keldon Westgate, director of the nonprofit Foundation for Life Ministries in Orlando. "When you consider the cost of feeding 20 guys is pretty steep, this has really been a blessing."

There are less tangible benefits, too.

"When you have to ask for food, your pride takes a hit," Hausman said. "So the fact they're able to be served a good, hot meal — the type of meal they would get in a restaurant — that's a little boost to their dignity."